Players sitting out in tournaments

It is best to think of a player who is sitting out as simply folding every hand. This is a completely legal tactic, as it is up to any individual player to decide his own best strategy.

There is no rule, for obvious reasons, against folding every hand. A player who is sitting out actually puts his opponents at a significant advantage. The player who is sitting out is still forced to pay his blinds and antes and is never able to build his stack.

On rare occasions, a player might blind off into a cash position, but players who employ this strategy are usually far worse off than those who play their best game.